Bought a pin, now my vids suck

[Robotron Jon]

It's good to have some of each, and to mix up the collection from time to time. But it all comes down to personal preference. Right now I only have 3 pins: an A list title, and two B titles.

One thing about pins - there is a lot of competition for great deals, much more so than video games.

 

[OTTOgd]

Another thing- pins are so damn expensive compared to arcade games!

What I try to do is find the cheap and broken pins but in decent overall condition and not crappy titles. Then I fix 'em and clean them up nice and either trade or sell up. I really enjoy the process as a hobby and the feeling of playing a game I restored.

I currently have a Bally Rolling Stones that I bought with no intention to keep but hope I can get it restored before and sold just in time for X-mas.

 

[midwestpatrick]

welp, it looks like I'm going to be getting rid of all my vids. Found a nice home for my stun runner and it looks like I found someone that wants My mk3. I sure I will end up buying others, but for now, I'm out.

 

[extra ball]

answer is easy. Pinball is 100% random, an infinite magic that can not be calculated or programmed. Vids just dont have this special quality, everything that happens, happens because it programmed. Not knocking vids, we all should have a nice decicated classic cab, but they can never be what pinball is.

The steel ball, in an ever changing environment (wear, dirt, temp, etc etc) just cant be beat.

 

[SilverCoin]

just acquired 2 pins this year, and I play them alot! Of course! They're new to the game room. I won't get rid of any of my vids, they are all part of a greater organism called the arcade!

People visiting do gravitate to the pins more than the vids if they are not into the classics..

Since we all love pics, here are my two! I might get one more, but I know I do not absolutely have the room till I move my arcade to the basement.

 

[OldTymeToys]

... stun runner ...mk3

Ahhh, now I know why- you had crappy games! Get some good classics and you'll be back into video games in no time!

 

[midwestpatrick]

Ahhh, now I know why- you had crappy games! Get some good classics and you'll be back into video games in no time!

Lol, Most of your so called "classics" were made before I came to be good sir

 

[midwestpatrick]

ah my pin just took a dump on me. It still works
, but my 3 pop bumpers and two side kickers(if that is what you call them don't work) I'm guessing they are somehow tied together. A local pinhead needs to come over and fix my shit. I will buy you beer and pizza and Blaze you up

 

[cadillacman]

im a sucker for both.. the nice thing is when your pin is down youll still have something to play. I took a couple month hiatus from my gameroom due to boredom with them and also life getting in the way. im already getting that itch again to play so its ok man it comes and goes..

 

[Black Matrix]

I have always been mostly a vid guy. Collected off and on for the better part of 15 years. I just recently began picking up pins. Mainly so that my hobby could have a deeper impact on people around me that it normally wouldn't have. That, and they are fun as hell. That being said, I would argue that a collector could have either every pinball ever made or every video game ever made and he simply would not have a true representation of the hobby, arcade, or enjoyment from owning a combination of the two. I have friends who are primarily pinheads. And when they see my ragtag collection of video game survivor cabinets, they light up and are amazed at the collection. Sure, its mainly because of the Atari Vectors, but they are ecstatic to get to play them again. And personally, I am still a die hard fan of classic vids limited only by my sheer lack of space for new games. That being said, I have picked up about 3 more pins in the last year or so. Right now, I have a long ways to go to get them playable and right. But I look at pins as a love affair. First, there's the chase. Once you get the machine, then you have to get the machine right before you ever get to the deeper levels of play. Then you invest the time it takes to get to know the pin and learn its shots, its tricks, and its rules sets. Only then, does the machine either endure itself to your heart, or find its way into someone else's arms. I currently have 2 machines that I love and hopefully 2 more that I will grow to love. Can't say I won't ever sell any, but I can say I will probably buy some more. Fish Tales, Tales from the Crypt, and Funhouse all come to mind.

 

[Frax]

Here's my track since March when I was looking at picking up my first game:

March - Bought Capcom Big Blue CPS2
- Bought Nintendo Vs. Dr. Mario

April - Picked up freebie Neo Geo cab
- Gave freebie Neo Geo cab away

May - Picked up a few CPS2 games from a CL deal.
- Bought Vs. Tetris

June - Bought first pin, on my birthday - Space Shuttle - 350$
- Placed first pin parts order - 150$

July - Signed up for reproduction Space Shuttle playfield....price....599$.
- Placed second pin parts order - 115$

August - Sold Dr. Mario, made a little profit on it.

Sept - Sold Vs. Tetris, break even overall, went to a hell of a nice guy at the right time that I needed it gone.
- Picked up 2nd pin - Bally Supersonic.

Oct - Paid for Space Shuttle playfield and plastics - 725$
- Probably placing 3rd parts order soon if I can cop the cash and get a complete parts list of what I need before I do the playfield swap...

Now looking for 2 more pins, F-14 Tomcat and probably Red Baron or Blue Max, but don't have the space or money for them.... I look at that behemoth Capcom machine and just talk to myself....do I REALLY like Street Fighter THAT much, or would I rather have that 3rd pin?

It's a hard choice, and I can't seem to make it. :|

 

[Robotron Jon]

Here's my track since March when I was looking at picking up my first game:

March - Bought Capcom Big Blue CPS2
- Bought Nintendo Vs. Dr. Mario

April - Picked up freebie Neo Geo cab
- Gave freebie Neo Geo cab away

May - Picked up a few CPS2 games from a CL deal.
- Bought Vs. Tetris

June - Bought first pin, on my birthday - Space Shuttle - 350$
- Placed first pin parts order - 150$

July - Signed up for reproduction Space Shuttle playfield....price....599$.
- Placed second pin parts order - 115$

August - Sold Dr. Mario, made a little profit on it.

Sept - Sold Vs. Tetris, break even overall, went to a hell of a nice guy at the right time that I needed it gone.
- Picked up 2nd pin - Bally Supersonic.

Oct - Paid for Space Shuttle playfield and plastics - 725$
- Probably placing 3rd parts order soon if I can cop the cash and get a complete parts list of what I need before I do the playfield swap...

Now looking for 2 more pins, F-14 Tomcat and probably Red Baron or Blue Max, but don't have the space or money for them.... I look at that behemoth Capcom machine and just talk to myself....do I REALLY like Street Fighter THAT much, or would I rather have that 3rd pin?

It's a hard choice, and I can't seem to make it. :|

I'd be looking at newer DMD pins, deals can be had, but you have to act quickly. IMHO they are much more entertaining than the older machines. I have a Cyclone, STTNG and a T2. They are all decent pins but the STTNG is clearly the best one.

Space Shuttle is an okay pin but your investment is adding up. The worst bath I ever took on an arcade game was on a pinball machine. However, the best deal I ever had was on a pinball too.

 

[midwestpatrick]

took the plunge

Well, I got rid of the rest of my games yesturday. I even traded for a minty Space Firebird cocktail table, that is going to be the only one in my collection.

Picked up an EM playmatic Rio and I love it to death. I'm sooo glad i made the switch over to pins. My em is loud as hell, but I kinda like it as it keeps the roommates up

 

[awarner]

It's all about cycles...

I've owned 108 arcade games over the years (not counting bulk buys with friends). I had 5-6 vids prior to my first pin (DE Simpsons). I've found that classic vids are still classic and pins are still challenging. The good thing about having a lot of games over the years is that you find out what you really like and dislike. I regret selling my Zoo Keeper, but not so much my Beastbusters. Get a mix of games you really like and eventually you'll spend some more time with your vids again.

 

[Scuba Steve]

Space Shuttle is an okay pin but your investment is adding up. The worst bath I ever took on an arcade game was on a pinball machine. However, the best deal I ever had was on a pinball too.

But you have to give props to Frax. He is restoring a classic pin back to its original condition. That isn't going to be a cheap endeavor. I applaud him for that!

Well, I got rid of the rest of my games yesturday. I even traded for a minty Space Firebird cocktail table, that is going to be the only one in my collection.

Congrats and I think it's wise to keep at least one vid in your collection to help break up gameplay. I made the same decision and haven't regretted it at all. If you haven't already come join the rest of us KLOV pinheads in the Pinball Machine sub forum.

 

[Jeff F]

I've owned 108 arcade games over the years (not counting bulk buys with friends). I had 5-6 vids prior to my first pin (DE Simpsons). I've found that classic vids are still classic and pins are still challenging. The good thing about having a lot of games over the years is that you find out what you really like and dislike. I regret selling my Zoo Keeper, but not so much my Beastbusters. Get a mix of games you really like and eventually you'll spend some more time with your vids again.

Sounds like me. We've had around 100 over the past 15 years and we've gone through a bunch of games I *thought* I needed.

We're at ~30 video and 4 pinball now and we are really at our top 30 video games. I'm having a heck of a time trying to fit a Lunar Lander in down there because there are no games left that the family and I can justify getting rid of.

Getting a balance of different style games is key I think. Also... if you're into the gaming with other people it helps to have their input on what games are good enough to keep and what games just sit there looking pretty. I can't ever see myself going totally one way or the other but I can see shifting the balance back and fourth between the two just to keep things fun.

 

[midwestpatrick]

I understand where everyone is coming from when they say that there is balance with variety. I guess I just got sick of hoarding arcade related things. I mean, I was saving control panels that I knew I would never use. At one time I had a 8 or 9 monitors that I thought that I would get to. Shelves of parts that went to nothing I owed or wanted. Empty cabinets that would have cost a small fortune to restore plus they were not even worth it.

I want a couple of nice pins and a classy looking cocktail table.

If I ever get a house with a nice garage or accessible basement I'm screwed.
I'm wondering how many people have said "screw this" and quit collecting all together............only to come back

 

[Alpha1]

Enjoy both!

 

[habo]

As a kid...the pins appealed to older crowds but I still played them. Vids were the main reason for going the arcade for me.

As a collector I went for vids because I had more fond memories playing them. A fellow colector told me that once I picked up one pin, I'd pick up another and it would be addicting. That was true.

Pins will cost on the upwards of 10 times what some would pay for a vid though. They are a little more maintenance prone also.

My collection is still more heavy on the pin side after collecting over 13 years.

 

[GaryMcT]

Lol, Most of your so called "classics" were made before I came to be good sir

You should have traded your so-so games for a Robotron!

I loved Stun Runner back in the day and ave one now, but it just doesn't compare to some of the other vids for me.